Sometimes it's the little things

Tonight at bedtime, while brushing his teeth, Morgan noticed that the writing on the bag of flossers was backwards in the mirror.  It really grabbed his attention, and he wanted to explore his new-found discovery, so he got some paper, a pen and tried out backwards writing.  What a delight!  I had him write me some messages and then wrote some for him.  Sure, he got to bed later than ideal, but it was so much fun to see his excitement at discovering something new.

It was a good cap to what otherwise was a looong day.  And it will set this day as a good one, which perhaps, is not how I would have viewed it otherwise.

On this, my very first day that I get to sleep in, I was rudely awakened at 5:40 am to the sound of the cat puking on the carpet.   Let me tell you, no time of the day is a good time to clean up cat hairballs, but early in the morning is my least favorite.  As I go to clean it up, I discovered Morgan wandering downstairs.  He realized how early it was and went back to sleep - in my bed!  Stinker. I couldn't get back to sleep. Oh well. At least I could have a productive morning...
I ran over to the school to bring them some therapy tools that we won't be taking with us.  It felt good to pass them on to somewhere that can use & appreciate them.
We signed all the legal documents for the house at the lawyers, and registered the trailer.  Now it's officially ours!
Then I worked on tackling the house.  Now that's an exercise in frustration!  Every time I open another cupboard there's more stuff to sort through.  And it's not like I can just stuff in all in a box for the movers to take to the next place.  There are no movers and my spaces are either the storage unit or the trailer.  And neither of them are big enough to fit a house full of stuff!

I feel bad for ignoring the kids as I focus on packing.   I did set up the slip n slide for them, and Lily spent much of her day playing at the neighbours, so at least some fun time was to be found.
We will have to work on  finding a balance for the next week.  There's so much to do in the next 10 days, but no matter how many piles of stuff that need sorting, we can't forget to have some fun, and take delight in the little things.

Last days

Morgan's last day of Grade 1 was today.  A fun finish to a good, sometimes challenging, but filled-with-growth school year.  He passed, and will be moving to Grade 2, but not here.  It is strange to think that he won't be returning to regular school when August rolls around.


Home schooling will be very different, for all of us.  Both Bob & I went to public school and then University, following the "normal" path.  My school experiences were positive and I never imagined myself homeschooling.  But it's part of our adventure, and so we will all learn together.



Lily finished pre-kindergarten last week, and while others from her school are moving into Kindergarten, she won't be.  Here, kindergarten is optional and so there is no set curriculum for us to follow.  We will still be doing some schooling with her, but will focus on what she's interested in.
She had her last day of gymnastics today, and now all of the kids' extra-curricular activities are finished.

My last day of work is tomorrow.

Bob will be done work at the end of next week.




With all these things finishing up, and our possession date so soon, it really does feel like a chapter in our life is closing. It's a bitter-sweet feeling. We're headed off on a great adventure, but we're also leaving behind friends, family and so many memories.
I'm ready to start writing the next chapter in our family's life though. Right now it's just a rough outline; a sketch that we will flesh out as we travel.  I'm really curious to know what it is going to look like.

But, let's wrap this one up first!  There are still many things to be done before our move day, and many more before we'll really be ready to launch.  

Our new home at our old home

We (finally!) got our trailer, and after a soggy weekend of camping with my family, brought her home. (pic coming soon) The maiden voyage went well, especially considering we'd hardly driven the truck and the trailer was completely new to us. We did find a few minor issues that the dealer will need to take care of, but that's okay.

It feels really good to have it.  Now I can start moving in and settling in.
I think we've already made a huge step in that direction though. When we picked it up on Friday it felt like home and returning to the house in Airdrie actually felt a bit weird. I'd geared myself up for this transition and so was already mentally moving. I must admit, I love my washing machine in the house though! The wet, muddy weekend resulted in wet muddy children and clothes.

We went through multiple rain showers and two torrential hailstorm/ downpours during the weekend and not a leak. Whew! It was a bit surreal camping this weekend though. The areas around us are in a state of emergency with entire communities flooded out, homes washed away, and at the time we left of Friday, the downtown core of Calgary was underwater. We went over several swollen rivers and saw piles of debris. Friday we watched the news coverage, but where we were camping had no cell service. Completely cut off, we didn't know what was happening near home until Sun afternoon. Only two days, but so much happened during that time.  So much devastation. I am thankful that my friends & family are all safe.  My heart goes out to those who have lost so much, but know that the community is banding together to help everyone affected by the floods.

We're sold!

What a feeling of relief today when I came home for work, and found the email from our realtor.  The buyers waived the conditions with none of the drama that Bob and I expected.  Whew!

We have three weeks to clear the house and get settled into the RV.  Our first garage sale was this past Sat. It went well and we did clear a bunch, but there's so much more.  Every time I start looking, I find more stuff to take to the garage in preparation for the next sale.  And I really don't have to look far.

That email gave me the permission I needed to really start moving forward with the moving process. I booked our storage unit for the next year. We decided to get a bit larger one than originally planned. Partly because there are hardly any units available in the area, especially on short notice.  We took what we could get.  But that's okay as it allows us to keep a bit more of the bigger, more valuable furniture than we first planned. We can always clear out later.

And I made a list of places we need to contact. (I like lists :) Will get started on contacting them tomorrow.

Now to get our trailer.  We should have had it already, but there was a mix-up at the dealers and for some reason someone there thought we didn't want it until July.  They've been in no rush to fix the cracked fiberglass bumper (they cracked the back bumper moving it around the lot).  Well I set them straight and they better have it done by Friday!  I want to go camping with my parents and my sister & her boyfriend this weekend!  We've had this trip planned for weeks and I don't want to cancel.

Yes!

So, all of this weekend's silliness with the house sale was resolved tonight.  We finally have a signed conditional contract and the inspection is set for this Friday.  Fingers crossed all goes well and there is a pretty SOLD sign in my front yard by next weekend!
But this really has given us the push we needed to get moving.  We got lots done today to move us forward, from passport renewal to finding a storage unit. Garage sale is this weekend.  Eek!  Guess I better start unpacking all the boxes in my garage now.

Topsy Turvy Weekend

What a strange weekend.  Lily had her two dance recitals Fri evening and Sat morning.  So cute! And she was all smiles afterward.  But boy was she a tired camper after them!  My mom came down and stayed for both shows.  It was so nice to have her here.  Good thing she was here too, since I completely forgot to take any pictures of Lily in her dance costumes.  (thanks Mom!)

We had a showing Sat afternoon so went for lunch after the recital.  Came home expecting a quiet afternoon where we could relax and enjoy the sunshine.  The kids wanted to play outside, which was great, considering the rain was set to return Sun.  No sooner do I get the kids set up with the water table than our realtor calls stating the earlier showing wants to come in for a second look immediately.  Had to wake Bob up from his nap, shoo the kids out and re-tidy the house.  We headed off to the park because the kids wanted to play and we needed to go get the dually, which was in getting an oil change/ tire rotation in preparation for our trip.  No sooner do we get settled enjoying the playground than our realtor calls saying an offer is coming in and we need to be back at the house by 3:45.  Well, the truck wasn't ready to get yet, so we couldn't go get it.  We get home and no one is in sight and then we then learn that all the dealing will be done verbally.  And then the fun began.  Due to miscommunications, nit-picking on the buyers part and a whole lot of back and forth, a deal still isn't done.  We had to do more back and forth today, which really messed up the flow of the rest of the weekend.  So be it  - the deal will be made or it won’t.  At the moment, I’m fine with it falling either way.   At least all this has given us a nudge to remind us of how soon July is and how much we still need to get done before we head out. 

The Pilot is now listed on Kijiji, and I have a list of places to call tomorrow to find a storage unit.  Anyone looking for a vehicle (or two!)?

Hakuna Matata

I watched the Lion King with the kids the other night and it got me thinking.  I've been focusing so much on the frustrations and stresses of preparing for our trip that I've forgotten to focus on what's just around the corner.  Hakuna matata - it means no worries for the rest of your days... just like the movie.
Now, I'm not saying I won't have worries, but it certainly won't hurt to focus on the good stuff!

And so far I haven't really commented on that here.  I guess I've gotten used to the idea of the life- shift my family is about to take and am coming to think of it as normal.  The reactions of others remind me that this is not so for many people.  "Brave" is what they say when they hear of our plans. I don't feel brave.  I just feel like me.  It's really just a shift in perception; in seeing the possibilities and taking that leap.

Each of us has specific things we're looking forward to.  I'm looking forward to seeing the amazing natural wonders of North America and showing them to my kids.  Like the Grand Canyon, and see the midnight sun way up north, Niagara Falls, White Sands, and having them be able to dip their toes in both the Pacific and Atlantic.  And then the man-made wonders and history of both Canada and the US.  The kids are looking forward to Carnival in Rio de Janiero next February - it's our one planned side trip.  Although they are definitely not looking forward to the immunizations we need to get.  I'm not sure what Bob's looking forward to most.  Maybe I should ask him!

We still aren't entirely sure of which direction we'll head when we get started.  I feel a bit like a kid in an enormous candy store for the very first time - I don't know which way to look first and have no idea what to pick!  
And that's okay :)

The art of patience and calm

Is not something I am good at. Hopefully I will learn to worry less and go with the flow more through this journey we are about to undertake. But, this has never been a skill of mine… Growing up, my mom always called me a worry wort, and it remains true. I like to have plans, even just basic ones so I feel like everything is under control, and in my control. Not having a plan and not knowing where I should be and when causes me a lot of anxiety – even though every time we have done it (like last summer) it has turned out great. And we have discovered places that would have been overlooked otherwise.

That anxiety is why I don’t like rides at amusement parks & carnivals. It gives someone else control. Oh, did I mention that’s a trip goal of ours? To hit as many amusement parks as we can. The rest of the family loves them. Lily convinced me to go on a ride at Silverwood Theme Park last summer stating “It’s like a merry-go-round that goes up and down too!” It was so not like a merry-go-round!

That ride is a good analogy for how I feel about the house being for sale right now. The ups and downs and waiting for the next shift is making me crazy and wonder why I volunteered to get on this ride.

The good news… We as a family are still firmly on the path to making our adventure/ journey/ trip (What DO you call it when you choose to uproot yourself & family, sell your belongings and set off without a firm destination in mind?). Ummm, and why does THAT not cause me anxiety???  (Simply put, because it feels right.)  But the house… ARGH! The frustration puts a damper on any progress we are making towards the goal of heading out.  

And we are making progress!  Last weekend we put a deposit down on a fifth wheel and sold the tent trailer. We pick up the RV on the 10^th. Maybe having my next house (on wheels) will help me let go of worrying about the current house. Baby steps… Must… Let… Go. 

Things will happen the way they are meant to happen…